Heads or Tails
by SoulSoother59
Summary: Raya and Gemma are the complete opposites of each other. Born identical twins but raised by their parents in different manners, Raya, the outsider, is pretty much left to fend for herself and emancipates herself from her family. But when Gemma passes away unexpectedly, Raya is tossed back into the world she left behind and begins to discover the many skeletons in Gemma's closet.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_ This is the third time I have tried to write this storyline into a plausible fic. Enjoy XxX

_Chapter One - Nobody Said It Was Easy_

Randy stood outside of the modest apartment building in downtown Los Angeles, frustration bubbling in the depth of his stomach. He really didn't understand why John had asked him to come all this way just to track down some chick. It was a waste of his free time - time that could be better spent with his wife and daughter. He shook his head, throwing the butt of his lit cigarette to the ground and stubbing it out with the toe of his shoe. Blowing out the last of the smoke, Randy threw caution to the wind and headed for the outer security door.

His thumb slid over the buzzer for number 38 and he braced his shoulder against the brick wall outside as he waited on an answer.

"Hello?" a young chipper voice came from the other side.

Randy cleared his throat and put on his best professional voice, announcing that he was delivering takeaway. There were a few cat calls from the other side of the line and then the door buzzed, granting him entry to the secured apartment building. He snorted and stepped inside, jogging up the stairs to number 38. Knocking on the door, he glanced across his shoulder to survey the hallways of the building.

"You're not delivering pizza are you?" he turned around to see a brunette standing with her arm braced against the front door. She wore a tight white peplum dress with sheer paneling around the chest and bust. A tall, thin stemmed glass was in her hand and filled with a heavy helping of red wine.

"No, I'm not," Randy tipped his head forward, trying to causally take a look inside the apartment.

"Who are you?" she raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow at him.

"I'm Randy Orton," he spoke lowly. "I'm looking for Raya Burton."

The brunette cocked her head to the side, pushing her tongue into her cheek. Her lips formed a round shape but were slightly quirked up at the same time. She was clearly amused and her stunning blue eyes raked over him from head to toe. "Huh," she smirked as she glanced to her right, clearly looking directly down the hallway of the apartment. "Well, you se-"

"I can come back if it's not a good time," Randy suggested. "I'd rather not but-"

"No," the brunette shook her head. "Come inside," she stepped back, taking a gulp from the glass of wine in her hand. Randy carefully stepped inside, pressing his back against the wall as the woman shut the door behind them. "This way," she pointed down the laminated hallway. Everything inside was white washed and very minimal - something he found that he really liked.

"Raya?" the woman called out and Randy found himself shocked to realise that the woman at the door was not the woman he was looking for.

"Yeah?" another voice sounded from further inside the apartment. Randy thought it sounded familiar but it was impossible considering he had never met this woman. His mind boggled as he cleared his throat, looking to the brunette who still stood next to him. She smiled sweetly at him and took another sip of wine.

"Come here. You've got a visitor," the brunette called to Raya. She turned to Randy. "I'm Ruby," she thrust her hand towards him and he felt her shiver slightly as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Randy replied for politeness, turning his eyes back towards the direction that he could hear approaching footsteps coming from. A flash of black sequins rounded the corner and Randy found himself staring at another woman.

"Well, who is it?" the woman looked to Ruby and then her eyes fell to Randy. "Hello. Can I help you?"

Randy took a sharp intake of breath through his teeth. Now he could understand why her voice had sounded so familiar. Aside from the vibrant green eyes and the locks of luscious red hair, this woman was exactly the spitting image of John's wife, Gemma.

"Y-you're Raya Burton?" Randy faltered, his voice breaking as he fought to control his emotions.

"That's me," she replied with a strange mixture of happiness and confusion. Looking between Ruby and Randy, the woman wasn't sure what was going on.

Randy rubbed a hand across his mouth. "Is there somewhere private we can speak?"

The smile on Raya's face fell and she raised her eyebrows at him. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are or what you want. But you're interrupting my birthday celebrations and quite frankly I don't feel comfortable going anywhere with you, even in my own apartment. What you've got to say can be said right here in front of Ruby," Raya folded her arms across her chest.

"Look, I-" Randy stuttered, trying to find the words to tell her what he had been sent all this way for. "It's your sister, Gemma. Sh-she's dead."

End Of Chapter


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**_ Thanks to **ANP87**, **AngelMarie1226**

_Chapter Two - Another Knife Into The Heart Of Me_

"How did you find me?" Raya asked as she licked her lips slowly. Her green eyes narrowed at Randy, discomfort beginning to churn in her stomach. She chewed on the inside of her upper lip as she processed what Randy had told her. Meanwhile, confused by her reaction, Randy couldn't actually find the words to reply to her. He'd assumed she would be upset, that perhaps she would cry. But it seemed that the surviving sister was more interested in how she had been tracked down than emitting remorse over her sister's untimely death.

Ruby cleared her throat, chugging the last of her wine. "God, I'm sorry, Raya," she managed to tell her friend. "I'll leave you two alone to talk," Ruby patted Raya's shoulder softly before disappearing into the apartment, leaving Raya to turn back to Randy, her arms still folded across her chest.

Randy held his hands out, palms facing Raya. "Look, I can tell this is making you uncomfortable and maybe you need some time to let it si-"

"I don't need time. I understand perfectly well. When's the funeral?"

"I'm sorry?" Randy almost choked at Raya's bluntness.

"When is the funeral?" she spoke more firmly this time.

Randy could hardly believe the gall of this woman. There she stood before him, looking every bit the attractive young woman - with a sequined black pencil skirt sheathing her slim legs and a low cut black thin strapped top with the hem smoothed beneath the waistband of the skirt - and yet she spoke like just about one of the most audacious, stuck up bitches that he had ever known.

Randy traced his index finger around his mouth. "3 days."

Raya nodded. "Thank you for coming to let me know," she took a few steps back down the corridor towards the front door of her apartment. She curled her hand around the handle and pulled it open, turning her gaze back to Randy. "I'd like you to leave now, please."

Randy shook his head and was unable to stop the nasty smirk forming on his lips. "You know, you should be grateful to me that I came all this way, sweetheart!" he spat.

"I am grateful, I did say thank you," Raya retorted. "But I now want you to leave my apartment."

"No problem," Randy snapped, storming out of the door. He spun on his heel once he was at the top of the stairs. "You might want to sweeten that personality of yours before you show up in Florida!" he told her before disappearing down the stairs, pushing the outside security door open with force.

Raya let out a sigh and closed the door to her apartment, forcing a breath in through her nose. Slowly, she made her way back into the sitting room of her apartment - with the large arc shaped windows that opened up onto a stunning view of downtown and where her friends were all gathered around the centre of the room, either on the large white corner suite or on the floor. The whispers amongst her friends became an awkward silence as she entered the room, staring down at the group of her closest friends with her hands on her hips.

They all opened their mouths to speak at once but Ruby got the words out first. "We're so sorry, babe," she looked between those sitting around her. "We didn't even know you had a sister."

"That's because I don't like to be reminded of how inferior I am to my twin, Ruby."

"She was your twin?" Ruby's mouth opened in the same expression of shock which was registered on the rest of their friend's faces.

"Yes," Raya replied with a bitter hiss. She glanced around the room, unsure about how to continue. "I t-think that we should call it a night. It's been lovely and I can't thank you all enough for coming around to help celebrate my birthday but I," she faltered slightly. "I have a lot to do and uhh...yeah," she finished lamely.

Her friends immediately jumped to their feet, all nodding and agreeing with what she had to say. They carried their glasses and their plates - still clean and empty from the lack of takeaway - to the kitchen and left them on the counter. Ruby milled around in the living room, straightening the cushions on the sofa before she approached Raya, who was still standing in exactly the same place.

"Will you be alright, babe. You don't want me to stay with you?"

"I'll be fine," Raya's voice broke slightly as she stared at a point far off in the distance. Ruby nodded and leaned forward, awkwardly hugging Raya and patting her back. She didn't know how to comfort her friend - being an only child prevented her from feeling the kind of pain that Raya was feeling right now.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything," Ruby replied, scooping her clutch bag up off of the sofa and heading for the door, joining the rest of their friends who all called their goodbyes to Raya, all extremely unsure about how to deal with the situation.

Twenty minutes later, Raya found herself still standing in the same spot, the balls of her feet burning from the pressure on them and two lone tear tracks slowly making their way down her cheeks.

* * *

The funeral for Gemma took place on the Saturday afternoon at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Tampa, Florida.

Raya had flown in that very morning, wanting to spend as little time as possible around her childhood home. The relationship between herself and her family was virtually non-existent and had been broken for several years. The redhead had distanced herself after a rather tumultuous upbringing. It was a sore point - something that she really did not like discussing.

The cemetery was stunning - if that was a word you could use for burial plots. With tall trees surrounding the vast circumference of the land on which it was built, the whole area was covered with lush green grass, numerous raised gardens with statues, fountains and carved hedges, beautiful aboveground entombment areas and a multitude of upright memorials, family burial plots and in lawn crypts all topped with headstones and flower arrangements. Streams of sun shone through the trees, bathing the grass with golden globes of warm light.

Raya stood at one side of the grave, Gemma's coffin elevated above it. The dark, teak wood was topped with a large arrangement of flowers spilling over the sides of it. A golden plaque had been nailed to the front with Gemma's name carved into it. Her green eyes were shielded behind a pair of oversized black sunglasses, her vibrant red hair hidden beneath a wide brimmed black hat and her hands which were folded in front of her were covered by a pair of soft black gloves. Her lips, painted a glorious shade of red were pursed and her face showed little emotion. She was staring directly ahead of her at the suited man who stood at the other side of the grave. He was big but then there were several big men amongst the crowd, Raya noted. He wore a simple black suit, white shirt and black tie and his hands were clasped in front of him, much like hers. He, however, was not wearing sunglasses and she managed to catch a glimpse of his blue eyes, lifeless and turned down towards the grave. He wore a thick gold band around his wedding finger and upon this development, Raya turned her eyes back towards the grave.

The priest was in the middle of his speech, blessing Gemma and talking about her life. Within moments, a small wooden tray was passed around the family members - first handed to the man who Raya had been watching. A sharp flip in her stomach then confirmed that this man was Gemma's widower. Raya watched in fascination as his big hand gripped a mound of dirt, throwing it onto the grave which was now being lowered into the ground by four men. The tray was then passed along and for the first time in 7 years, Raya laid eyes on her parents - Eliza and Samuel Burton. Her mother was being physically supported by her father as hot, fat tears rolled down her cheeks and she fruitlessly tried to dab them away with wads of tissue.

Raya snorted beneath her breath. She held a very low opinion of her family and had such disdain for her mother. Her parents - both flaxen haired - and Gemma who had been blonde as well, had been like the perfect little family. Raya was always slotted on at the end - fiery haired and green eyed - and her parents never let her forget that she was the odd one out.

Her father managed to grab a fistful of dirt and throw it into the grave but her mother was unable to do so and could only continue to cry in her father's arms. Raya rolled her eyes beneath her sunglasses. She wouldn't cry. Grieving for her sister internally was all she could manage to muster at the moment.

The people around the grave begun to disperse after the coffin was lowered down, passing on their concerns to the immediate family gathered around the grave.

"I'm sorry about your sister, darling," Raya heard a voice from behind her. She turned around, shocked that someone was speaking to her. Sliding her sunglasses off of her eyes, Raya found that she was faced by her favourite elementary school teacher, Mrs Higgins.

"Mrs Higgins!" Raya remarked in surprise. The teacher - now well into her late 50's - approached her with slow steps. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, dear, thank you. I knew that was you when you first stepped up to the grave but I didn't think it was right to speak until now."

Raya nodded. "Thank you, Mrs Higgins."

Mrs Higgins rubbed her hand across Raya's jacket covered upper arm before she hooked her arm into her husband's and shuffled off across the grass. Raya let out a breath as she watched Mrs Higgins go and started to put her sunglasses back on.

"I don't think we've met yet?" a deep voice resonated from behind Raya once more. A lump formed in her throat and she slowly turned around. She found herself face to face with the man who she had been watching. Gemma's husband stared at her, the shock at really seeing his dead wife's face on someone else truly registering with him. Raya couldn't keep her thoughts under control and she couldn't account for what was passing through this man's head either, something that truly frustrated her. "Raya," he breathed out softly.

End of Chapter


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_ Thanks to **Imarie**, **Kris21xX**, **ThatGirl54** and **AngelMarie1226** for leaving reviews.

_Chapter Three -In Her Shadow, Is It me You See?_

With his eyes fixed firmly on the redhead opposite him, John was trying very hard to keep his jumbled thoughts to himself. He clasped his hands in front of his face, the bottle of beer in front of him completely untouched and now probably flat.

"This isn't easy, you know?" his voice broke as he was talking.

"I can tell," Raya replied, her own voice void of emotion. She shrugged as she spoke and took a sip of the water in front of her.

When John had first laid eyes on his wife's twin sister, he had felt what could only be described as a punch to the gut. The air had been completely knocked out of him and he had barely managed to say her name. If truth be told, Raya hadn't been mentioned in his presence by anybody until Gemma brought her up about two weeks before she died. John had been shocked to learn that his wife had a sister at all, let alone an identical twin. Gemma had made him promise to her that he would track Raya down and bring her home.

"Look, I am sure this can't be easy for yo-"

"I would stop right there," Raya shook her head. "Let's get things straight, John right?" he nodded. "Well, John, you have no idea what this is like for me and I won't pretend to know what it's like for you. The truth of the matter is that I don't have a good relationship with my family. I saw my parents today for the first time in 7 years. I haven't seen Gemma in about that long as well and I did not even know she was sick, let alone dying. I flew in for her funeral and I'm flying back out this evening to L.A. We won't have any dealings with each other further to this conversation," Raya explained. "So get down to the nitty gritty and let's not waste time sugar-coating anything."

John sat back, folding his firm arms across his torso as Raya spoke. Since entering the quiet bar where they now sat, he had undone a couple of buttons at the top of his shirt and loosened his tie. Raya, on the other hand, had removed her hat - her wavy red hair could now be seen to have been pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck - along with her sunglasses and gloves.

"Fine!" he feigned nonchalance, with a slight shrug.

"Fine!" Raya repeated, mirroring his posture.

"That's what I said," John replied, causing Raya to smirk before she took a drink of her water.

"Well, now that we've cleared that little hiccup up, would you care to tell me why you had your little lackey track me down to L.A?"

"You know, you're a laugh a minute, Raya. I tracked you down to L.A for two reasons. One - I thought that you might like to know that your twin sister had died!" John was firm in his words and he seemed to be getting angrier by the minute. "And two - because it was what Gemma wanted."

"Well, she always did get what she wanted after all," Raya told him disdainfully.

"Listen, lady, get off your fucking high horse. That's my wife you're talking about."

"She's not your wife anymore," Raya muttered. John's eyes widened and she could practically feel the growl that emanated from his chest. Fearing for her safety and even berating herself for saying such a cruel thing, Raya stood up. She grabbed her hat and her gloves and slipped them both back on. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't have the best of times with my family and I know that is no excuse but it takes a long time to forget things. I'll never be able to forgive my parents for what happened when I was growing up and that does make this very hard."

John was silent so Chase continued.

"I can tell that you don't like me very-"

"Mama, I don't even know you," John dismissed her attempts to make him understand.

"Exactly my point. You don't know me! Gemma and I might look alike but we certainly don't act alike. The truth is that while I might not show it, I am deeply upset that Gemma is gone. She was my flesh and blood after all. But after years of pushing my feelings down, it's hard to allow them to resurface," Raya told him, picking up her sunglasses to slide them on. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances, John, but fate doesn't work like that. I'm sorry that you lost Gemma, I truly am, I am sure that you loved her very much," Raya's voice cracked slightly. "I'll show myself out."

Turning on her heels, Raya headed for the front door of the bar that they had been sitting in.

"You're more like her than you think," John called quietly from behind her before Raya left. His words sent a shiver of fear running through Raya as she left the bar. She had spent years trying to distance herself from her family and be her own person, only for a complete stranger to tell her that she was like them after all. Holding back the tears that threatened to spill over, Raya stuck her hand out to hail a cab down.

* * *

After a hot shower, she felt better. Considering her short stay, she hadn't unpacked her small suitcase and had only removed a change of clothes of traveling. The black shift dress, draped jacket and heels that she had worn to the funeral were now folded neatly back in her case along with her hat, gloves and sunglasses. She was feeling a little bit out of sorts. It was difficult being back in the place where she had grown up, difficult to see so many faces she knew. It had been particularly difficult seeing her parents - who hadn't even made so much as a simple phone call to her to inform her about Gemma. They had forgotten about their other child and were far too busy morning the death of their beloved favourite daughter. Raya was nothing more than footnote in their history. She hadn't even let them know she was back in town. Although, she was sure her father had noticed her when she was speaking to John at the graveside but he'd not said anything - instead choosing to leave with his grieving wife.

A knock on her hotel room door pulled Raya from her thoughts. Opening it, she was rather shocked to see Randy standing at the other side of her doorway. He still wore the black suit he'd had on at the funeral but now had his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets.

"You're making it a habit of yours to track me down," Raya shook her head at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to...say that it was good of you to come to the funeral."

"She was my sister, Randy," Raya hissed his name out. "It's not like I wasn't going to pay my respects to her."

"I never told you my name," Randy commented loosely.

"No, you didn't but Ruby did. Look, I'm sure that you didn't come here to discuss how I know your name or to tell me that I did a good job showing up at my own sister's funeral. If you've got something to say then spit it out. I've got a flight to catch."

"Look, this is so fucking hard okay" Randy raised his voice. "I'm trying but you just...you look so much like her and I-I miss her too. She was my friend and I miss her too. Is that what you want to fucking hear?"

"I don't want to hear anything," Raya replied, not fazed by his outburst. "So, you miss her. You're not the only one, Randy. I'm sure she was a big part of your life and in time you'll come to terms with the fact that she's gone," the redhead added, pacing through her hotel room to pick up her suitcase. Slipping on a different pair of sunglasses and picking up her travel wallet containing her ticket and passport and her hotel room key, she moved back to the door.

"How can you be so cold? So unfeeling? It's like you don't feel anything."

Raya tutted at him as she closed the door behind her. "I feel a lot of things. But in a world where nobody cares about you, you learn to adapt very quickly. Look, like I said, you miss her. And that's a good thing because if it's hurting at least you know you really cared about her. But I'm not my sister, Randy. So don't try and make me her substitute," Raya spoke firmly as she headed for the stairs, leaving Randy behind her.

"What's the supposed to mean?" Randy turned and watched her as she was leaving.

"You know exactly what it means."

_END OF CHAPTER_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:**_ Thank you to **ThatGirl54**, **Kris21xX** and **AngelMarie1226** for leaving reviews.

_Chapter Four -If You Don't Take A Chance__  
_

"How was Florida then?" Ruby asked as soon as Raya had taken a seat the table she'd reserved in Spice Table in Little Tokyo.

Raya raised her head from perusing the menu and frowned at Ruby, causing the other woman to shrink in her seat. "Nice opener, Ruby," Raya quipped, pushing back a lock of her hair. "It was...strange," the redhead settled on.

"Strange?" Nicola, Raya and Ruby's other friend asked, raising her well groomed eyebrows at Raya.

"Yeah, strange," Raya admitted. "Being back there after so long and for something as morbid as my own sister's funeral. It was hard to stand there and keep a straight face and watch my parents from the other side of her coffin as they mourned her," she said. "It got my mind thinking some pretty horrible things that I am not proud of," Raya added, her mind drifting off as she remembered the day of Gemma's funeral.

Ruby reached out and touched her hand. "What happened after? Did you talk to your mom and dad?"

"No," Raya replied firmly, bringing her eyes up to meet Ruby. Shame shone through her expression. "I couldn't get up the courage to confront them after everything we've been through. I was angry, Ruby. They couldn't even take it upon themselves to tell me that Gemma was dead. I had to hear from her husband's friend."

"That's who that guy at the house was," Nicola deduced, nodding her head. "We all heard your voices from the sitting room. But we didn't know what was going on until you came back in," she explained.

"What was he like?" Ruby asked. "You spoke to him, right?"

"Yes, I spoke to him. It was disastrous," she said, with a small chuckle. "We clashed from the moment we sat opposite each other. Obviously, I can see why he was so upset. First off, he's lost his wife and secondly, here I am showing up looking exactly like her. But he is far from charming, well, so far anyway.

Looking down at her menu once more, Raya tried to decide on what she wanted to eat for lunch. She didn't have long until she needed to get back to her offices for an afternoon read through of the brand new scripts for 'Catch 22'. The series had just been picked up for a second season and as the head writer and producer for the show, Raya liked to be there when the actors read through their lines.

"Hey!" Ruby drew her attention one more time. "What does this husband of Gemma's look like?"

Raya frowned once more. "I don't know," she replied vaguely. "He's got light brown hair that's cut close to his head, blue eyes, really tall and built like a wall of muscle. I think he's some sort of athlete. Why do you ask?"

"Hmmm...I asked because I think he's standing right behind you," Ruby told her, pointing over Raya's shoulder to a man who was standing near the entrance, pointing to their table.

"What?" Raya scooted her chair back in surprise, looking around the restaurant until her eyes landed on John, who had now struck up a conversation with the maître d'. He was gesturing to something in the restaurant and using his hands to describe something or someone. Raya continued to stare at him until he stiffened, seeming to realise that someone was looking at him. He turned to face her, his eyes fixing on her. She dragged her tongue over her lips to wet them, her hands beginning to tremble. What the hell was he doing here?

John motioned to the maître d that he had found what he was looking for and the older man allowed him to pass. Within a few steps, John had closed in on Raya, his presence encompassing the space that was around her.

"W-what are you doing here?" Raya stuttered, much to John's amusement. He wiped the smile off of his face as soon as he realised it was there and looked down on her from his formidable height.

"Ladies," he gestured to Nicola and Ruby - who were both staring up at him with a look of wonder. "I hope you don't mind but I'd like to borrow Raya for a little while," he grinned at them, flashing his white teeth, which only sent the two into another bout of delirious staring. John turned to Raya. "Could you get your things please? I need to speak with you in private."

Raya let a breath escape her. "You can tell me whatever you need to right here," she insisted.

"Raya," John said. "Don't be difficult. Get your stuff, please," he added firmly. "I'll wait by the door."

He about turned and headed back the way he came, leaving Raya to watch bewildered after him. She turned to her friends who were still looking after John. Raya dropped down into her seat, still unable to comprehend that John had actually come all the way to LA to speak to her. Quickly scrabbling to get her things, the redhead looked to her friends for guidance.

"I-I think that I should go with him," Raya commented and both Nicola and Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea, babe," Nicola said. "He doesn't seem like a guy who likes to be kept waiting."

Raya nodded and stood from the table. "I'm sorry about this. We'll do lunch next week," she told her friends as she hurried from the restaurant. Once upon the sidewalk outside, Raya spotted John standing a little way down from the restaurant. He wore a pair of fitted blue jeans and a white button down shirt - the sleeves folded up to reveal his strong and unmarked forearms. He scuffed the toe of his shoe against a slab on the sidewalk and stood with one hand stuffed into the pocket of his jeans and the other holding a leather bound notebook under his arm. Raya strolled down to him, holding her handbag in front of her - both handles clasped within her two hands.

It was a warm day in the city and Raya's clothing choice wasn't fit for the type of weather they had been receiving lately. She dressed smartly, always aiming to look professional in the workplace. The black flared pants that she wore drew the heat from the sun and her heeled black courts pinched her toes as she walked. The only saving grace was the loosely fitted white button down blouse she wore, and like John, she had also folded the sleeves up to her elbows to try and gain some relief from the heat.

Lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Raya looked up to John from her lower height.

"Are you going to tell me why you're in LA?" she questioned him as she approached him. "I have to say, I really don't appreciate the way you forced me out of the restaurant."

John snorted and rolled his eyes. "I get the impression that you're not a woman who can be forced to do anything, Raya," he told her. Raya just lowered her head and shook it slightly. "Let's take a walk," John suggested and without waiting for Raya's answer, he started off down the sidewalk, his long strides taking him quite a distance from Raya within a matter of seconds.

Raya dashed to catch up with him and fell into step next to him. Her toes were pinching something awful but she resisted the temptation to complain about it. She wasn't keen on walking too far in the heat and she didn't have much time before she was due back at work. They continued on in silence and for a moment, Raya thought John would never speak until he let out a rather loud sigh.

"You know, Gemma never mentioned you. I guess that would explain why I found it pretty difficult seeing you face-to-face," John looked to her for confirmation that she was listening. Raya nodded for him to continue. "It's not easy to see you walking about healthy and living your life and to know that Gemma is gone."

"I won't even begin to imagine how you're feeling. I've never been married or lost someone that close to me. I've been alienated from my family for the better part of my life, John. It doesn't make dealing with things like this very easy."

"I can understand that," he sighed again. "It's difficult. I'm trying to cope that best way I can. You know, just burying my head in my work-"

"What is it that you do?" Raya interrupted him, an apologetic expression on her face. John seemed taken aback by her question, physically surprised that someone didn't know who he was.

"I'm a professional wrestler with the WWE," he said. "It's quite refreshing to hear someone ask who I am," John added. "What is it that you do?" he looked up and down at the attire she wore.

"I'm a script writer and producer for television. My latest project 'Catch 22' just got picked up for a second season."

"'Catch 22'! Shit, I love that show. I seriously had no idea that you were behind that."

The two of them laughed together and for the first time felt some sort of relaxation around each other.

"Listen, John," Raya started, tugging on a tendril of her red hair nervously. "I really just want to say that I'm sorry for what I said back at the bar in Tampa. It was totally out of line and I should never have said something so cruel to you."

"Thank you," John seemed humbled by her apology. He rubbed a hand over his face before looking to Raya once more. "That, uh, means a lot."

Raya simply smiled and nodded. "So are you going to tell me why you're here and why you practically dragged me away from my very important lunch?" she asked, a tone of laughter in her voice.

"Well," he scratched the back of his neck. "You haven't been answering any of the calls from Gemma's lawyer for the past 3 weeks and I did try calling you once or twice but I got no reply. So, I came out here to give you this," he handed over the leather bound notebook which had been tucked under his arm.

Raya took it from him, gazing at the impeccable cover. It was unmarked and sealed with a tiny gold clasp on the side. Gemma's name was engraved in black stitching on the front of the brown cover. "What's this?" Raya remarked.

"It's Gemma's diary. She wanted you to have this. I haven't opened it," John fished into the pocket of his shirt and took out a tiny gold set of keys. "These will open the lock," he finished, dropping the keys into the palm of Raya's hand.

"T-Thank you," Raya closed her fingers around the keys and held the diary to her chest. "I'm not sure why she wanted me to have it but I'm sure there was reason. She was always full of surprises."

"Yeah, she was," John agreed, stuffing both of his hands into the pockets of his jeans now.

"So, how long are you in town for?" Raya attempted to change the subject swiftly, not wanting to dwell too much on Gemma for fear of upsetting John again.

"We've got a show tomorrow night at the Staples Center. But I flew out a a day early so that I could try and find you. I wasn't sure how long it would take me to track you down."

"I'm glad that you came yourself this time. It makes a change from seeing Randy constantly popping his head up."

"Oh, he's not that bad," John started to laugh. "He was just trying to help me out because his schedule was free. He's a great guy, really. He's been a rock through this whole thing."

Raya nodded. "I'm glad that you've got somebody to help you out along the way," she looked down at the watch on her wrist. "I really have to get going soon. I have to be back at the office for a script read-through shortly."

Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she popped the flap and dropped Gemma's diary inside of it. Raya made a mental note to open it later when she had more privacy and more time to read it.

She turned back to John who was in the process of fishing something else out of his pocket.

"I...this is going to sound weird but I got you this ticket for tomorrow night's show. I was thinking that maybe you could come and watch, that is, only if you want to?"

Raya took the ticket from him, holding it delicately in her hands. Her thumb ran over the embossed black ink printed on the card before she glanced back up to John.

"I...I...thank you. This is...yeah, I mean, sure, I'll come to the show. I'd like to see what it is that you do."

"Great!" John grinned. "The show starts about 7 but it's always best to get there a little earlier."

"Okay. I'll head to the Staples Center for about 6.30 then. You really didn't have to do this, I mean, after the circumstances under which we were introduced and how things were between us. It's really sweet."

"It's not a problem, really," John shrugged. "I guess that I'll see you there, then."

"You sure will. Thank you again for the diary and for the ticket," she sent him a sweet smile in parting and set off back in the direction of Spice Table where her car was parked. Raya could feel John's eyes burning into the back of her as she walked off. But she felt that at least some of the tension had been relieved between them. At least they were now managing to hold a conversation without tearing each other's heads off.

END OF CHAPTER


End file.
